Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: WILL NUNN; SPORTS EDITOR
During the offseason, the St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team reloaded their roster. The retooling brought some international talent to Olean, including two new additions that call Canada home.
Frank Mitchell, a native of Toronto, Ontario, comes to Bonaventure for his senior season after spending two years at Canisius University and one at The University of Minnesota.
On Oct. 5, the Bonnies held a public practice at Toronto’s Humber College. The event was a homecoming for Mitchell, who spent a season playing at Humber, averaging 14.5 points and 18.0 rebounds per game, and leading the Hawks to an appearance in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships.
“It felt good returning home,” said Mitchell. “It was a very surreal moment being able to represent Humber’s culture in another light. They produce pros, they produce people that can get to the Division I level. It was good to see my family and see people that I know from across the border.”
Mitchell took an unorthodox path to playing basketball in the states. As Canadian children often do, he began his athletic journey on the ice, with skates on his feet and a stick in his hand.
“Hockey is one of my favorite sports,” Mitchell said. “It started with one of my close friends, Ty Nelson, who is a legend in hockey. Being able to play with him, I just have good memories, it was a joy.”
After Mitchell put hockey to the side, he became a working man, and it wasn’t until the work stoppages of the COVID-19 pandemic that he began to play basketball.
“I stopped playing hockey when I was younger, and I did construction my whole life after that,” said Mitchell. “Then, COVID made the construction sites shut down, and then basketball came into play, and it has been a blessing ever since.”
The other Canadian addition for Bonnies basketball this offseason was Milton, Ontario native Brayden Jackson. The sophomore guard spent his freshman campaign at the University at Buffalo, where he appeared in 23 games for the Bulls.
Despite never personally playing at the school, the open practice at Humber College had familial ties for Jackson.
“It meant a lot for me because my younger brother goes to Humber currently,” said Jackson. “In the future, he wants to get to this level, so going out and competing showed him what it takes to get here.”
Prior to coming to America to play collegiately, Jackson attended prep school at Fort Erie International Academy, which sits directly across the Niagara River from the city of Buffalo, NY. Jackson led the Falcons to the Canadian National Title and earned All-Canadian Honors in 2024, which helped him realize he had what it took to play in the states.
“Prep school is the thing that really flipped my mindset that I can really get to this level,” Jackson said.
The pair knew each other before coming to Bonaventure, so bonding–and poking fun at one another–has been easy now that they share a locker room.
“We knew each other from before we got here,” Mitchell said through a smile. “It’s good to have another Canadian on the team, even though he doesn’t represent us very well.”
Jackson and Mitchell hope to carry on the rich history of basketball in Canada, both on and off the court.
“Canadian basketball has blown up in the last couple years,” said Jackson. “For me and Frank to be a part of that means a lot to us.”
“There are a lot of guys that did it in Canada that are in the NBA,” said Mitchell. “To be able to follow in their footsteps is something that is not a given. We have a high standard to hold. We’re excited to put Canada on the map and follow the greats that did it.”
